Incredible Game. Goated. 100% Aura.
On the freemium aspect: I've read how many people worry and whine about in-game payments (IGP). The game is perfectly playable without any purchases; sure progression takes longer, but gameplay and world map are complex enough that you have different resource streams to still get things done. I really see this as a worrywart behaviour: devs should get compensated for their work regardless, doing so with IGP without breaking the game balances is incredible on their end and demands respect.
Gameplay: smooth, allows for vastly different playstyles (chill merchant, ravenous pirate, and everything in between). You can really play different games depending on what you feel like doing that game. The resource management aspect really caters to my mind and progression is genuinely addicting. You just want to build them ships you know.
Graphics: pleasant even during long sessions! I guess the landscape is natural enough for human brains to tolerate high volumes of hours in-game. Regardless, the sunsets and sunrises are amazing, the GFX are fantastic and really enjoyable.
Playing with friends: This is what sets this game apart from other MOBAs or MMORPGs - playing this game with friends is 1000x more fun and still allows for party members to each mind their own quests and only help each other out sporadically. Alternatively you can hunch together in a death squadron and sink anything that sails. Again, a lot of flexibility and choice here, making it one of the best multiplayer games I have ever touched.
Machine: Dell XPS9510 - Intel i7 + RTX3050 Ti + Win11
Bonuses: YARRRR
Issues:
* game crashes on ~2min monitor session (big no no)
* graphics optims and most importantly distribution across servers (like carrying play state files across servers) are still missing
* the game is in pre-beta and still has a while to go to reach its true potential, which appears massive to me
Overall: 82/100
